Soundgarden Bassist Ben Shepherd Unveils Debut Solo Album as HBS

A few years back, Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd caused a bit of a stir when he said that he was homeless and "totally broke," reportedly spending his nights crashing at studios or with friends. Hopefully he's back on his feet now, since he's gearing up for the release of his debut solo album under the initialism HBS. In Deep Owl is out on August 27.

The album was jointly produced by Shepherd and Dave French, with sessions taking place at the Mix and Coldwater Studios in Seattle. Chad McMurray gets a co-producer credit, while the song "The Train You Can't Win" was co-produced by Nathan Yaccino. It features drumming by Soundgarden's Matt Cameron and former Pearl Jam member Matt Chamberlain.

Regarding the title, he previously told Bass Player, "That's an old nickname for the neighbourhood where I hang out." The album has apparently been in the works for several years, and he explained, "It was done before Soundgarden returned to doing anything, and then it was put on the back burner."

The album was mixed by Adam Kasper and Nathan Yaccino. For a taste of what it sounds like, stream the grungy, riff-filled "Baron Robber" below.